


The Dyad Lives

by norathecloudwatcher



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ben Solo Has Issues, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Bond Shenanigans, Force Visions, Hurt Ben Solo, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Loss of Limbs, Loss of Virginity, Nightmares, POV Ben Solo, POV Multiple, POV Rey (Star Wars), Redeemed Ben Solo, Rey Needs A Hug, Soft Ben Solo, Virgin Rey (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:21:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24136531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/norathecloudwatcher/pseuds/norathecloudwatcher
Summary: Ben and Rey have miraculously survived Palpatine's wrath and the Battle of Exegol. Ben is now an ally of the Resistance and is helping them to defeat the rest of the First Order's military.  However, the Resistance members, especially Finn and Poe,  are having a hard time believing that Ben is truly on their side and has redeemed himself. Meanwhile, Ben and Rey begin a passionate relationship that is as meant to be as it is complex. Will Ben and Rey be able to maintain their loving relationship as the war drags on? Will the Resistance accept Ben Solo as an ally? All will be answered in this new version of the ending of the Skywalker Saga.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 5
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter One: Exegol

**Author's Note:**

> Just to warn you in advance, it's in first person. I know I know, but I write really well in first person and not so well in third so humor me please!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This picks up right after the kiss when Ben falls backward. Let me know what you think in the comments and give me suggestions on how I can improve later chapters please! I'm very new at this and still learning the ropes so bear with me XD. Now, let your little reylo heart be full and may the Force be with you!

**Rey:**

I barely have time to process the feel of his body against mine when I see him fall. 

I desperately squeeze his now limp hand and feel my face distort into one of concern and then one of disbelief.

_No. He can't...he was just...I was just...this can't be..._

A million sentences start and stop in my head as I stare at his now closed eyes and peaceful face. 

I feel a powerful surge in the Force right as the desperation kicks in. 

_Leia._

I feel the tears start to stream down my face, my body starting to shudder with anger and racking sobs. I make noises that I didn't know I could make. 

I place my hand behind Ben's back, drag his limp body into my arms and pull him up as close as possible to my chest. I cradle his head in my lap as the tears turn from streams into rushing rapids.

I hold him until the tears stop coming and I can push down my emotions enough to allow my brain to have a chance to control my actions. I close my eyes and reach out into the planet's life Force in an attempt to feel something, anything, from him. 

I search and search and search through the Resistance pilots and the soldiers, finding Finn and Poe, which puts a small smile on my tear-soaked face. I go deeper and deeper until I feel a rush of Force energy and then...

_Ba bum...ba bum...ba bum._

A heartbeat.

I open my eyes as I feel his chest rising and falling against mine. I release my grip on his body enough so that I can lay his back down onto my lap. I place the palm of my hand against the back of his head and lean my head down. I rest my ear against his chest and close my eyes.

_Ba bum.. ba bum...ba bum._

It was faint, but it was there.

I pull my head back up and feel the relief wash over me. I make a sound similar to a laugh and allow a great big grin to crawl across my face. I feel the tears rushing back into my eyes and instinctively cover my mouth with my free hand. I make the sound again, except this time it is overcome with emotion. 

Every positive emotion saturates my body and soul. I want to cry and laugh and scream at the same time. Instead I pull Ben's body back up against my chest and sob as loud as I possibly can . I let the tears run down my face like raindrops on an X-wing windshield. I feel his aliveness against my chest and in my ears. I let it flow through me and give me strength I don't believe that I have.

Then logic takes over once again. I blink the remaining tears out of my eyes and let my brain take over for a while. I feel with the hand that was on the back of his head for any head injuries from him falling backwards onto the sharp stone of the throne room. All I can feel is his soft black hair. I gently place his head back onto the stone floor and pull my hand out to check for blood. It's clean. 

_Okay, no major head injuries. That's good._

I grab his left arm, place two fingers on his wrist, and start to count.

_85\. Okay, that's a little low but not too bad._

I notice that his left leg was bent weirdly even though it was completely limp. I then remember him favoring it when he was sitting up next to me. I lift it up and notice that his calf bone is bent completely the wrong way. I instinctively wince.

_Shit. That's definitely broken. He probably fell badly onto it when he got thrown into the gorge. That's going to hurt once he wakes up._

But other than his leg and some small cuts on his hands and face, he isn't badly injured. A small smile makes its way onto my lips as hope makes its way to my heart. _We're gonna be okay._

I look up to the sky for the first time since Ben saved me. All I can see is a chaotic mess of explosions and star fighters racing across the starlit sky as Palpatine's fleet is destroyed. I search for Poe and Finn in the confusion, and find them quicker than I did the first time. I smile slightly again, but it is gone as soon as it appears. I need to know what Ben and I are up against. I realize that I had never actually focused on the planet's energy itself in my searching for Ben's energy, so I decide to reach out to its life force, if you can call it that.

All I can feel for a while are the deaths of the Resistance pilots and the ships that had fallen onto the planet's surface. As I dig deeper however, I start to see the planet's own energy. I see blurred faces and red lights that must have been from lightsabers. I feel every person's death and hear every scream of bloody murder that the sith had ever experienced. As I dig even deeper into the planet, I start to hear muffled voices coming from pale, almost translucent figures floating around my own energy. 

They start to become clearer and clearer as I go deeper and deeper and soon I can make out what they were saying (or more accurately, shouting). 

They're mourning. 

"Our leader is dead!" cries one. 

"The sith are doomed!" shouts another. 

"The great Sidious! Struck down by his own flesh and blood!" yells yet another. 

_These must be the souls of the sith that came before Palpatine._

Suddenly, they stop. 

Simultaneously, they all turn their bodies towards where I was watching. 

As one, they start to float towards me.

They start chanting something under their breaths.

They got closer. 

Then closer.

Even closer.

Finally, I can make out what they are saying.

"Blood traitor...blood traitor...blood traitor..."

I can hear it as clear as I could hear Ben's heartbeat.

"Blood traitor...blood traitor...blood traitor..."

They get even louder.

"Blood traitor...blood traitor...blood traitor..."

They are shouting now.

"BLOOD TRAITOR...BLOOD TRAITOR...BLOOD TRAITOR..."

I can feel the freezing cold of their auras.

"BLOOD TRAITOR...BLOOD TRAITOR...BLOOD TRAITOR..."

One of them is inches from my face.

"BLOOD TRAITOR...BLOOD TRAITOR...BLOOD TRAITOR..."

"YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR TREACHERY, YOU FILTHY SCAVENGER SCUM!!!!"

Just as one of them grabs my shoulders, I pull myself out. I feel my forehead as I try desperately to catch my breath. It's dripping wet. 

I have only one thought: _We need to get off this planet. **Now.**_


	2. Chapter Two: Escape

After a few minutes of gasping and sweating, I can finally focus on actually getting off this planet rather than not dying. I decide to think over the means of doing so.

_The Falcon is close, but I can't reliably communicate with it, and I don't have a Force connection with any of the rest of the Resistance ships. I can't fly a TIE fighter, so Ben's ship is out of the question. The x wing it is._

_There are canyons right outside the throne room...then the giant machine chamber...then I should be home free._

_Alright Ben, let's get you home._

I slide my left hand to the center of Ben's back, lift his head slightly off the ground with my right, and gently set him down a few feet in front of me.

With my left leg still resting on the floor, I slide my right heel back and carefully put weight on it as my sole flattens out. In my kneeling position, I then slide my left heel back and shift my weight to my feet.

I proceed to feel a searing pain in my left ankle, which then leads me to falling 4 inches onto my ass.

_Ow._

I try again, this time putting as little weight as possible on my left leg. Fortunately, I don't fall on my ass. 

Unfortunately, upon closer inspection (aka looking down), my ankle is bent in an unnatural position.

_Shit. That's at least sprained._

_Can't worry about that now. Have to help Ben._

_Lifting him under his back is definitely not going to work._

_Let me try something else._

I stretch my right arm out, palm outstretched. After reaching into the Force and gaining a sense of where Ben's body is, I close my eyes. I slowly put pressure on his back and lift.

This works for about 3 seconds until the pressure on my mind became too much and I placed my bad foot down.

_Nope. Definitely not._

_How the hell am I supposed to get us both off this lightforsaken planet if I can't even lift him up long enough to carry him even an inch?_

A flashback of me lifting a super battle droid's body up and into a net on Jakku plays in my head.

_That droid was at least 10 times heavier than me. So how did I manage to lift it?_

I see myself lift it under its arms, using my back to lift it rather than my legs.

_Wait a second. That might work._

I slide both hands out from under him and place my hands under his arms, as if lifting a baby, and push. Somehow, I get his upper body a few feet off the ground while only using the right side of my body.

I almost lose my balance when I turn his body so that only the bottoms of his legs are on the ground and his face is level with mine, but I regain it enough to raise him the rest of the way and sling his upper body over my good shoulder.

I realize too late that I forgot one crucial factor. Ben is mostly muscle, as evidenced by our awkward Force bond session a year ago, and muscle is extremely heavy. 

Especially when you can't use an entire side of your body properly.

I nearly topple over with his weight.

After a grunt and some quick movements, I regain my footing once again.

_That was way too close._

_Now. How am I going to get us out of here?_

I look down at my feet and lift my right one experimentally. I can hold it up only for a moment before the weight and injury kick in, but it's enough to allow me to step forward about six inches.

I slowly drag my left foot up behind it and stand up as straight as possible while still avoiding putting weight on my bad side. 

_This could work, but it's so slow._

_There has to be a faster way to do this._

I look at my surroundings for the first time in a while. My eyes land on Palpatine's empty wire and metal life support with the Throne of The Sith behind it, the stone spikes outstretched with the intent of a python trapping its prey. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning comes into view above me. A faint but familiar cackle runs through my head. 

A chill slithers up my spine.

I nod my head.

_This will have to do._

"Come on Ben. Let's go home."

_..._

After what felt like hours of stepping and dragging, I finally saw the no longer moving gears and chains of the giant machine chamber, which signaled the entrance of the gorge. I smile in spite of my situation.

_I'm almost there! All I have to do is get out of that chamber and I'm home free!_

As I begin to search for my final exit, I feel another surge in the Force.

Only this time, it isn't familiar.

Before I could investigate it further, the feeling passed.

I ignore it and continue searching. 

I can't find anything on the ground, so I decide to search the walls for anything that could indicate an exit.

Besides a few open areas and rooms which led to other areas of the palace, there was no indication of an exit on the walls.

_How did I get down here?_

_I remember hitting the ground...and a rush of air...wait..._

_Hitting the ground, falling down...I jumped down! But from where?_

I search the ceiling above me and sure enough there is a fairly large hole in it. 

_Aha! There it is! Now all I have to do is jump through that hole and get to my x wing!_

I smile as I turn my body and prepare to step forward.

All of a sudden, the feeling returns.

Except this time, it isn't gone as soon as it comes.

A cold chill crawls up my spine, like a frost scorpion waiting to strike.

My brain tells my body to run, yell, scream, fight, something...

It doesn't respond.

I try again, my thoughts yelling again and again _move! MOVE! **MOVE!**_

But to no avail. 

Like a permanently powered down droid, I'm stuck, helpless, and painfully unaware.

After a minute of nothing, I think _It's over. I just have to wait this out._

Then the screaming begins.

It started with one vaguely familiar voice that seemed to be coming from directly behind me.

I wrench my head back and forth, trying to see who it was coming from. 

Nothing. It just sits there uselessly, half-turned toward freedom.

It gets closer.

I thrash and jerk harder, harder, harder still...

Closer.

I feel a shriek of pain rise up and trap itself in my own immovable throat.

I push and push and push to get it out...nothing.

It rises to a screech.

My arms yank and pull and twist but don't move.

Hot breath rushes against my cheek.

In a final desperate attempt at freedom, I reach out through the Force and push.

I see a woman, sitting in the throne room, calling me.

"Sweet Rey, come home. Come home to me."

_My mother._

I push harder.

A man appears next to her.

"Please come home, Rey. We miss you."

_My father._

_My parents._

_My...family._

_No._

_Illusions._

Harder.

A tall figure with long hair materializes behind them.

I lessen my pushing as it begins to walk forward to join them.

After a few painstaking moments, I see him. 

He's smiling.

"Rey. Come home to me. I miss you."

I feel tears gather in my eyes and drip down my face.

"Bring me back and we can rule the galaxy. Together."

Suddenly, we are in Snoke's throne room again, his eyes glittering with the light of the embers.

He's holding out his hand.

"Come back to me."

Tears streaming down my face, I reach my hand out, look up into his warm brown eyes...

And see a darkness that wasn't there that night.

I jerk my hand back. 

"No."

His smile flips to a scowl.

"Why not?"

"Because. You're not him."

"How do you know?"

"The man you are pretending to be is right here. With me."

I turn my head slightly and smile as I look down onto Ben's unconscious body.

"And you can't keep me here," I say as I turn back to face the impostors, "on false hope and old dreams."

"Now, if you don't mind, I'd really, _really,_ liketo go home. See you never."

I shove my palm out and push him into Snoke's throne, the knock back flipping me up and back into reality.

I feel a surge of shock rising up into my throat.

Almost immediately afterwards, I lean over and hurl.

After it passes, I check my body for any sign of (further) injury. Nothing.

I turn my head back and forth, up and down, and blink.

Finally, I flex the fingers on both my hands.

I take an experimental step (or drag) forward, and nod.

After a few painstaking steps, we are under the hole.

 _Ok, Rey. Remember your training._

_You are weightless. Like a feather._

_Now jump._

I bend my right knee, push off as hard as I can...

and fall straight back down, almost falling over.

_Who am I kidding? I'm a ton of bricks._

_No Rey, stay positive. Remember what Leia said. If you don't believe you can do it, you never will,_ Leia's voice told her.

_Now, you've done this before. Its just a little harder because you're injured and carrying a 230 pound refrigerator of a man, no offense Ben._

I look down at his motionless body.

_Now, just jump. Don't think about how high it is. Just do it._

I take a deep breath, bend my right knee, and push off.

This time I get my head up and through the hole, but don't get high enough to stick the landing.

 _Ok. You can do this. One more time._

_One._

Leia.

_More._

Leia.

_Time._

Ben.

I grit my teeth, place my left foot down, and push off with a yell of pain.

I support my continuous momentum with the Force and land on the other side of the hole.

I continue to grit my teeth through the searing pain in my ankle and let out a grunt.

_Ow._

I turn my head, expecting to see a long, flat, friendly stretch of land.

Unfortunately, I realize that I forgot a very important detail about my journey to the throne room.

The land in front of me is indeed long and flat. 

But not friendly.

_The lightning storms. Fuck my life._

_Nope. Not gonna worry. Gotta keep going._

And so I did. I dragged myself in between the lightning strikes and was within feet of the X Wing.

_Yes! We're home free Ben!_

I smile and laugh in relief and glee.

I begin to make the final stretch, when a cold settles in my chest.

_No. Not again._

I step with my right foot, drag my left.

The cold spreads to my abdomen.

Step right, drag left.

It spreads to my arms.

Step, drag.

My shoulders.

My neck.

My head.

Step, drag.

My groin.

My thighs.

Step...drag.

My legs finally freeze.

"NO! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! I HATE YOU! I WILL NEVER JOIN YOU! NEVER!"

"Ah, but you will."

The familiar malicious cackle pounds against my skull.

"Foolish child. The sith are in your blood. There is no escape."

"NO! NEVER!"

"You cannot deny the truth that is your family."

**"NO!"**

With a final push, the voice is gone. The cold feeling remains.

I look down at Ben's helpless body again, and come to a decision.

As soon as my left foot meets my right, I step.

Slide step.

_Slide step._

Slide step.

_ Slide step. _

**Slide step.**

** Slide step. **

I open the cargo container and gently place Ben's body into the compartment on top of some extra blankets and slam the lid closed.

_Slide step._

**Slide step.**

** Slide step. **

**_Slide step._ **

I lift myself into the air above the cockpit with the Force, and place my body into the pilot's seat.

I grab Luke's helmet and shove it onto my head.

I send a quick Morse transmission to the falcon, and start the engine.

I take one last look behind me, and then turn to face the welcoming stars.

"Alright Ben. Lets go home."


	3. Chapter Three: Welcome Home

**Rey:**

Ben and I are in hyperspace for what feels like hours before the feeling finally starts to recede.

The cold rises up to my thighs, up further to my groin and abdomen, and past my chest. Finally, it reaches its origin point in my head and disappears.

I feel a rush of air into my open mouth and gasp as it reaches my lungs. It takes a few minutes for my lungs to finally be able to function normally without making me need to gasp for air, but other than that (and my throbbing ankle) I don't feel anything else trying to invade.

_Thank the Force that's over. I should make sure Ben is holding up in the cargo container._

I click a button on my control pad and a view of the cargo hold pops up on a screen next to the navicomputer. I scan the screen for any sign of movement.

_Nothing. Ben isn't awake yet. That's actually good, since he would be very cramped in there and probably complain about it after we land and I get him out._

I smile at the thought of hearing his smooth, deep voice, seeing his dark but kind eyes with their sparks of intelligence and mischief, and his smile...a goofy grin that should have spent more time on his face.

His surprisingly warm lips against mine, his gentle touch on my neck and back, pulling me slightly closer...his little chuckle after I pull away...

Tears appear in my eyes.

_Kriff, I miss him. So much._

I blink and shake my head.

_Focus Rey. You have a job to do, and that's to make sure that he gets back to the Resistance safely._

_Hmm...I haven't checked my trajectory in a while._

I turn off the camera system and check my progress on the navicomputer.

_Oh Kriff, the ships going to come out of hyperspace in 1 minute! I need to prepare for landing._

I finish the landing procedure just as the x-wing comes out of hyperspace. I check to make sure I'm directly above the base, and start to descend. I search for Finn and Poe's energies on the planet and find them faster than I ever have. An overwhelming sense of relief, warmth, and joy washes over me.

_They're celebrating. Good. That means they are in a good mood._

I look back in the general direction of the cargo hold and let out a sigh.

They won't stay that way for long.

...

After I land, I take Luke's helmet off and take a few deep breaths.

_Ok Rey. You can do this. You just have to tell Finn and Poe that you have someone who needs medical attention and then get Ben into the med bay without anyone seeing his face...oh who am I kidding? They are gonna freak out._

I let out another sigh, rub my eyes with the heels of my hands, drag my fingers down my face, pulling the skin on my face down, and let go. I take another deep breath.

_Ok. This is gonna be fine. You just need to tell Finn and Poe that this will all make sense to them once we get this passenger to the med bay. Yeah, that's a good plan._

Just as I decide my plan of action, I see Finn and Poe run up with grins on their faces.

_Oh boy, here we go._

I take one more deep breath, and open the cockpit lid. I jump up and out of the cockpit just as they get to the left wing of the X-wing.

"Rey! You're ok!", yells Finn.

"We were worried sick about you!" says Poe as he runs up with open arms.

I smile and accept his bear hug of an embrace as Finn runs around me and wraps his arms around my waist from behind.

"We thought we would never see you again!" shouts Finn directly into my ear. _Ow._

"Yeah, we thought you were dea--" Poe is cut off by Finn reaching around and slapping him in the back.

I crane my neck around and giggle at the sight of his classic "shut up you idiot" face.

"It's ok Finn. I thought I was too." I say with a laugh.

I feel Finn let go of my waist and a release of pressure off my back. Poe backs up too and his face turns from one of joy and relief to one of concern. Finn walks around me until he's facing me and stands next to Poe.

"What the hell happened on that Forceforsaken planet?" Poe asks. His question reminded me of why I had come back in the first place.

_Ben._

"I'll tell you all that later. For now, I need your help."

"Ok, with what?" Finn asks.

Before I can answer, Poe says "Oh no, PLEASE don't tell me Palpatine escaped. I can NOT make that announcement again," with a groan of complaint.

I laugh a little. "No, no he's dead. I saw him die with my own eyes."

"Ok then, what's the problem?" Poe asks.

This time Finn interrupts my reply. "PLEASE don't tell me we need to go back to Jakku. I hate that place with a burning PASSION, I tell you, PASSION."

I laugh again. "No no that's not it either."

"Well then, what the hell is it??" Finn and Poe say at the same time. They give each other a silly grin and then turn back to me. Sometimes I wonder if those two have a shared brain cell or something.

"I have someone in my cargo who was with me on Exegol. He needs urgent medical attention. He has a broken left leg and I think several broken ribs. We need to get him to the med bay."

"Ouch, that sounds rough. We'll send him a stretcher right away to take him over," Poe says.

_By the Force no! That would cause a panic!_

"No! You can't do that!" The words are ripped out of me before I can think otherwise. A few people turn around and give me weird looks.

_Shit. We need to get Ben to the med bay ASAP before I attract anymore unwanted attention._

"Woah, why not? We can make sure we bring out our best EMT who will give him the best care." says Finn in the calm, reasoning voice of a caregiver.

"No it's not that it..." I stop talking and take a deep breath. I try again. "He's..." I sigh. "I have to show you. Saying his name out loud would cause too much panic."

Finn and Poe give me the same confused look mixed with tones of concern.

"But before I show you, you have to promise me neither of you will cause a scene. That means no yelling, no gesturing, nothing out of the ordinary. Got it?"

Finn and Poe exchange a look. Poe shrugs and Finn shrugs back, as if to say "It can't be that bad." _Boy are they wrong._ They both nod and turn back to me.

"We promise." says Poe.

"Oh thank the Force! You guys are the best!" I say as I go to hug them.

Finn extends his right arm out, palm outstretched. "But." He puts all his fingers down except his pointer. "On one condition."

_Oh_ **_shit._ ** _He's going to say it can't be Kylo Ren. I'm screwed._

I close my eyes and take another deep breath.

"Alright. What is it?"

Finn and Poe exchange another look. Finally, Poe says, "You have to explain everything, and I mean, EVERYTHING, afterwards." I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Sure, of course. Absolutely. Deal." I stick out my hand and first Finn, then Poe shakes it.

"Alright, now who is this poor bastard?" asks Poe.

_Oh Force. Welp, here goes nothing._

I don't reply. Limping, I lead them to the back of the x-wing and around to the cargo hold. Finn and Poe stand on either side of me. With a trembling hand, I reach under the handle on the lid and pull up. After it pops up, I take another deep breath and reach my hand under the lid and lift. I rest my palm on the top edge of the inside surface of the lid, my fingers gripping the outside surface.

I squeeze my eyes shut and brace for the onslaught. It doesn't come. For a solid 10 seconds anyway.

"Rey. You HAVE to be KIDDING me," Poe says through gritted teeth. I can see the vein on his forehead bulge out as he speaks. Finn's jaw drops so far that I am surprised it hasn't hit the ground yet.

"Help now, explain later. Remember?" I remind Poe. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in...and surprisingly exhales slowly and calmly.

"Right. How-"

"Is that...Kylo fucking REN?" Finn whisper shouts, interrupting Poe's question.

"Yes. Well...he was anyway. Anyway, help him now, explanations later. He might have internal injuries." Finn looks at me with his jaw still dropped, his brown eyes full of shock and horror. I raised my eyebrows at him and tilted my head forward, my classic sign, saying "I know it's bad just deal with it." He shuts his eyes and closes his mouth slowly.

His shoulders rise and fall with a breath, and he opens his eyes.

"Fine."

I nod and give him a small smile as a thank you. He rolls his eyes as I turn back to Poe.

"What were you going to say Poe?"

"I was going to ask, before I was RUDELY interrupted," he narrows his eyes at Finn, "how tall...he is."

"He's about 6 foot I think? Maybe a couple inches more?"

"The large stretcher should work then. Finn, go get a large stretcher from the med bay. Rey, do you have anything we can cover his face with?" I look around in the cargo hold and see a pile of extra blankets that Leia gave me when I first left for Ahch To.

"Will those blankets work?" I ask as I point towards the pile.

"Yup, those will work fine. Do you think one will be enough to cover his body?"

"Um...it should be. But I'll get out two just in case."

"Ok. When Finn comes back, I'll tell him to help you load...?" He gives me a questioning look as he points towards Ben's body.

"Ben."

"Ben, onto the stretcher."

"Well actually Poe, I'm injured too. I think my ankle is broken."

"Oh, shit. That must have been why you were limping."

"Yup."

"Ok, well I was going to be the one making sure no one gets suspicious, but I guess that's now your job. Unless you want to go to the med bay."

_Oh. Oh crap._

"No, no I want to make sure Ben gets there safely. But also, shit. I suck at lying."

"Well, get better at it" he says with raised eyebrows and a experimentally authoritative tone.

"Ok then, Mr. Bigshot General." I say with a smile.

He smiles back then holds out his forearm for me to use as a crutch, which I grab immediately without thinking. Relief flows through me like warm rain as I relieve the weight from my sore ankle. I let out a grateful sigh as he leads me towards the front of the X-Wing where there is a crowd of people celebrating and reuniting with their loved ones. We get to a spot in front of the cockpit where most of the bustle is, and I let go of Poe's arm.

Big mistake.

Almost immediately, I feel a shooting pain in my ankle. I wince instinctively and clutch Poe's arm. Poe turns his head to look me in the eyes.

"Do you need me to stay with you?"

_No, you don't need help._

"I'm fine, thanks. I just need my staff so I don't fall over." He nods, and leads me over to the cockpit. I grab my strap with my right hand from next to the seat, place the staff's end on the ground, and steady myself. I take a deep breath and let go of Poe's arm. I switch the staff over to my right hand and balance on my good leg. I let out another sigh of relief.

_This will definitely work._

Poe puts his thumb up questioningly. I nod and smile reassuringly. He returns it.

"Yell if you need help, ok?" he says as he turns back towards the cargo hold.

"Yeah, thanks."

With a quick dip of his head, he turns fully around and jogs toward the back of the X-Wing where Finn is waiting with a stretcher. Oh wait, I need to warn him...

"Poe!" He immediately stops and pivots towards me.

"Please be careful. He's...much heavier than he looks." He smirks and nods in understanding. As he pivots again and runs back to help Finn, I can't help but long to not be injured so that I can make sure they are gentle with him. Force knows he doesn't need any more suffering.

...

After about a half a century of thuds, grunts that turn to groans, nervous stolen glances behind me, my heart jumping into my ears when I hear Poe swear to himself after he loses his grip, I finally catch the slightly ridiculous sight of Finn and Poe carefully going down a ladder holding on for dear life onto either side of a stretcher. I look closer and see soft black waves poking out from the side Poe's holding, closest to the ground.

I turn back around and immediately let out a breath I don't know I'm holding. 

_Finally! Now, how in the Force's name am I going to explain everything to Finn and Poe? Well wait, Finn knows some of it. Not all of it though. They can't possibly expect me to explain_ everything.. _.right? Well, no Poe did say everything. Ok so Finn was in the forest on Starkiller...but was knocked out for most of it, shit. No that's ok, nothing too questionable there. The interrogation, however...that's gonna be tricky. That's ok, I'll just not mention the fact that he found out, or how he found out for that matter, about my tendencies and the lonely nights on Jakku and...well, everything. Shit, no I have to mention that, that's context for the Force bond...fuck it, I'll just tell them everything. No wait, I can't possibly talk about the whole him being shirtless that one time...nope nope definitely not. And the cave...shit I haven't told them about the cave. Oh Force...there is much more than I thought there was. Well, too late now. I'll just tell them to save their comments until I'm done. Yeah that's good. Oh Force, Poe's going to hate me..._

"Um, Rey, is everything ok back there? I heard thuds..."

I nearly jump out of my skin, much to Rose's similarly unfortunate surprise.

"Kriff, Rose. You scared the life out of me," I say as I try to catch my breath and force my heart back into my chest.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry," she says, red rising up into her cheeks.

"Oh no no it's fine, I was just in the middle of a train of thought and I wasn't expecting it."

 _Yeah, but you should have been. I mean, Force, you were put on watch for a reason._ I swallow down my embarrassment. Rose laughs, nervously, but still laughs.

"You seem to be doing that a lot these days," she says with a smile.

"Ugh, I know, I'm really sorry. It's just been a very long day, and it's about to be an even longer one, and I really want to explain everything, but there's just so much..." Rose holds up a finger, and I close my mouth.

"You don't need to explain right now. Take your time and explain when you're ready." She places a reassuring hand on my free shoulder, and I instantly feel less stressed.

"Thanks Rose. You truly are the best, you know that?" She giggles a little at that, and I see her eyes wander behind me. She holds out the same finger she used to quiet me.

"Who's that? On the stretcher?" I look behind me and see Finn and Poe with Ben, covered in not one, not two, but three blankets.

_Force, he's tall._

I turn back to look at Rose, whose reassuring expression has been replaced with one of concern.

"He's..." I stop myself.

_Wow, who the hell is he?_

_A new recruit? No not believable._

_An old friend? Nope, that's not even half true._

_Hmm...you know what?_

"...a friend," I finally finish.

_That's always a good bet._

She looks at me and nods.

"I'll help you escort him to the med bay."

_Oh shit, no no no..._

_Wait, that's actually not a bad idea. Rose has a good head on her shoulders. She'll keep us out of trouble._ I nod and smile a little.

Rose takes one last look at me, and then runs over to help Finn and Poe carry the easily over 250 pound stretcher to the other side of the base.

_I'll come behind them when they pass by me. I'd rather not have to explain to people why we are carrying what looks like a...oh god he looks like a corpse._

I shudder a little at that realization. Rose catches me and furrows her brows, but I shake my head and nod towards the gate leading to the path to the other end of the base.

She still looks worried, but turns back around to face the gate anyways.

Relief trickles into my brain, then is immediately cut off.

_Right. We still have to get him to the med bay. Oh, this is going to be easy._


End file.
